International immunopharmacology
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Jun 2014
Geniposide suppresses LPS-induced nitric oxide, PGE2 and inflammatory cytokine by downregulating NF-κB, MAPK and AP-1 signaling pathways in macrophages.
Inflammatory responses are important to host immune reactions, but uncontrolled inflammatory mediators may aid in the pathogenesis of other inflammatory diseases. Geniposide, an iridoid glycoside found in the herb gardenia, is believed to have broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory effects in murine models but its mechanism of action is unclear. We investigated the action of this compound in murine macrophages stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), as the stimulation of macrophages by LPS is known to induce inflammatory reactions. ⋯ To understand the action of geniposide on the NF-κB and MAPK pathways, we studied the effect of NF-κB and MAPK inhibitors on the LPS-induced production of NO, PGE2 and TNF-α. Our findings clearly showed that geniposide mainly exerts its anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting the LPS-induced NF-κB, MAPK and AP-1 signaling pathways in macrophages, which subsequently reduces overexpression of the inducible enzymes iNOS and COX-2 and suppresses the expression and release of the inflammatory factors, TNF-α, IL-6, NO and PGE2. Thus, geniposide shows promise as a therapeutic agent in inflammatory diseases.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · May 2014
Synergistic interaction between choline and aspirin against acute inflammation induced by carrageenan and lipopolysaccharide.
The simultaneous use of drugs with different mechanisms of anti-inflammatory action is a strategy for achieving effective control of inflammation while minimizing dose-related side effects. Choline was described to potentiate the antinociceptive action of aspirin at small doses in several inflammatory pain models. However, these findings are only limited to alleviating pain, more associated data are required to confirm the effectiveness of the combined choline and aspirin therapy against inflammatory disorders. ⋯ Furthermore, co-administration of choline and aspirin was more likely to inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory mediators induced by LPS. Our results indicated that combined choline and aspirin therapy represented a significant synergistic interaction in attenuating acute inflammatory response. This preclinical relevant evidence provides a promising approach to treat inflammation-based diseases such as arthritis and sepsis.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · May 2014
Hemin inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation in sepsis-induced acute lung injury, involving heme oxygenase-1.
NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to acute lung injury (ALI), accelerating caspase-1 maturation, and resulting in IL-1β and IL-18 over-production. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) plays a protective role in ALI. This study investigated the effect of hemin (a potent HO-1 inducer) on NLRP3 inflammasome in sepsis-induced ALI. ⋯ Meanwhile, hemin significantly increased HO-1 mRNA and protein expression and HO-1 enzymatic activity. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between the CLP and ZnPP groups. Our study suggests that hemin-inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation involved HO-1, reducing IL-1β and IL-18 secretion and limiting the inflammatory response.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Apr 2014
Protective effect of taraxasterol on acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice.
Taraxasterol, a pentacyclic-triterpene isolated from Taraxacum officinale, has been reported to have potent anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of taraxasterol on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mice acute lung injury has not been investigated. The aims of this study were to investigate whether taraxasterol could ameliorate the inflammation response in LPS-induced acute lung injury and to clarify the possible mechanism. ⋯ The results showed that taraxasterol attenuated the infiltration of inflammatory cells, the activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO), lung wet/dry ratio, and the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, western blotting results showed that taraxasterol inhibited the phosphorylation of IκB-α, p65 NF-κB, p46-p54 JNK, p42-p44 ERK, and p38 caused by LPS. Our data suggest that anti-inflammatory effects of taraxasterol against the LPS-induced ALI may be due to its ability of inhibition of the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.
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Int. Immunopharmacol. · Apr 2014
Tangeretin exerts anti-neuroinflammatory effects via NF-κB modulation in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated microglial cells.
Increasing evidence suggests that tangeretin, a flavonoid from citrus fruit peels, exhibits anti-inflammatory properties and neuroprotective effects in animal disease models. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not clearly understood. In this study, we investigated whether tangeretin suppresses excessive microglial activation implicated in the resulting neurotoxicity following stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in primary rat microglia and BV-2 microglial cell culture models. ⋯ Tangeretin clearly inhibited LPS-induced phosphorylation of ERK, N-terminal Kinase (JNK), and p38. In addition, tangeretin markedly reduced LPS-stimulated phosphorylation of IκB-α and IKK-β, as well as the nuclear translocation of the p65 subunit of pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB. Taken together, these results support further exploration of the therapeutic potential and molecular mechanism of tangeretin in relation to neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative diseases accompanied by microglial activation.